2015 retiring products

summer fun color challenge adventure

At The Paper Players this week, Ann has offered up this fabulous color challenge:

And I've used a new punch and stamp set (available as a bundle at 15% savings!) that coordinate with my favorite embossing folder:

stamp set - Six-Sided Sampler; ink - Versarmark, Early Espresso; card stock - Calypso Coral, Pool Party, So Saffron, Early Espresso, Naturals White; punch - Hexagon; Big Shot with Honeycomb embossing folder; Stampin' Dimensionals

 
This is one of the cards you can choose to make from the Card Buffet at my new-catalog Open House Saturday - stop by between 10 and 2 to see some other new products, pick up a catalog, and make as many cards as you like!

Sale-A-Bration Last Call Adventure

It's the Last Call to get FREE Stampin' Up!® products - offer expires Friday March 22, 2013!

And, it's a Stampin' Llamas Blog Hop!  If you haven't arrived from Marsha's Coffepot Cafe you can go back with the Previous button found at the bottom of this post.  You will also find button-links to go to the Next hop page at Stephanie's Please Pass the Snail or to the Stampin' Llamas blog hop Home page, which has a list of all the stops.

Just look at the adorable and useful Petite Curly Label punch you can earn FREE with any $50 order:

stamp set - One in a Million; ink - Basic Black; card stock - Basic Black, Naturals White, So Saffron; punches - Itty Bitty Shapes, Petite Curly Label, Curly Label; 1/8" taffeta ribbon - Basic Black; Big Shot with Finishing Touches edgelit

 

My "assignment" for our team meeting this weekend was "wedding or shower" so naturally I remembered the way the Itty Bitty heart shape fits perfectly on the Petite Curly label; with the coordinating Curly Label, they were perfect for the Paper Players sketch, which in turn had the perfect spot for the ribbon "dessert" option for the Dynamic Duos Black Tie color challenge! (Slightly less perfect is my timing, since Dynamic Duos challenges end at noon Thursdays...)

 

 Your $50 order could include the fabulous new Cloudy Day Textured Impressions embossing folder, the Ovals Collection Framelits, the 48-piece Print Poetry designer series paper stack or Pool Party Core'dinations card stock and Stampin' Sanding System  from the Spring catalog, or any of other items shown below (available from the big annual catalog):

 

stamp sets - Everybunny, Teeny Tiny Wishes; ink - Crumb Cake, Gumball Green, Not Quite Navy, Primrose Petals, Raspberry Ripple, Summer Starfruit; Stampin' Write Marker - Raspberry Ripple; card stock - Not Quite Navy, Pool Party Core'dinations, Very Vanilla, Watercolor paper; designer series paper - Print Poetry; punches - Large Oval, Extra-Large Oval; Big Shot with Large Scallop edgelit, Ovals Collection and Bitty Banners framelits; AquaPainter, Stampin' Sanding System, Stampin' Dimensionals 

I was at a big crafts supplies store this weekend and these little 4"x4" canvasses were on sale. There was a collage-style sample with a large chipboard initial.  I thought I might make one similar for my friend's birthday, but when I got started, I made a few changes.  Instead of a collage, I thought a quilt style would be more meaningful, since her mother taught us to quilt.  Then, instead of her initial, this phrase from the Feel Goods set in the Spring Catalog reminds me of her:

stamp set - Feel Goods; ink - Versamark; Stampin' Emboss® powder - Black; card stock - Vellum; designer series paper - Pear Pizzazz (retired); Big Shot with Labels Collection framelit and Honeycomb embossing folder

 

I used a retired color, but any Color Collection Designer Series Paper Stack will work - each color in the collections includes all four designs!

 

You can find more Spring and Sale-A-Bration inspiration at Stephanie's blog - please hop on:

 

Spring-A-Bration blog hop adventure

Spring + Sale-A-Bration = Spring-A-Bration

My llama friends and I are hopping again, it's so much fun!  This month we'd like to show you products from the new Spring catalog and some of the things you can earn free from our Sale-A-Bration flyer - your choice of free item(s) with every $50 ordered!  Check out links above (Stampin' Up! blog) or to the right (Adventures blog). You've probably hopped here from Debbie's blog, but if not you can go back, or to the next blog - Marsha's - and on through all the blogs in our hop until you get to Debbie's.  And by the way, isn't her blog perfectly named?  Clever and Cute - everything she posts (including those adorable grandbabies) is clever and cute!  There are buttons at the end of this post with links to Debbie and Marsha and to the Llama Home page.

The stamp set I used below is from the big catalog, I put off buying it until I got a special demonstrator discount because I thought it was somewhat limited in application.  While I was putting the labels on the stamps I finally realized that each of the large sentiments have a coordinating smaller sentiment that works well for the inside of the cards - that makes it seem much more useful for me and I'm really happy I splurged:

stamp set - From My Heart; ink - Midnight Muse; card stock - Naturals Ivory; designer series paper - StoryTime; tools - Big Shot with Apothecary Accents Framelits, Paper-Piercing Tool, Stampin' Pierce Mat, Essentials Paper-Piercing Pack

The Essentials Paper-Piercing Pack is one of the items you can get free during Sale-A-Bration - three unique 6"x6" templates with piercing patterns that coordinate with punches, Edgelits, and Framelits - an easy way to add pizzazz to a simple design.  Some people find coloring or hand-cutting soothing; I find piercing soothing.

The next card features my favorite new embossing folder and the new Core'dinations sandable card stock in fabulous Pool Party, both available from the Spring catalog:

stamp set - Perfectly Penned; ink - Riding Hood Red; card stock - So Saffron, Riding Hood Red, Pool Party, Pool Party Core'dinations; designer series paper - Storytime; tools - Big Shot with Honeycomb textured impressions embossing folder, Stampin' Sanding System; accessories - 1/8" mini brads silver, Stampin' Dimensionals

My last card was an adventure all of its own, a story for another day.  I found this card by Mary Fish that I really wanted to recreate and the newest Fab Friday color challenge that I really loved, so I made this:

stamp set - Vintage Verses (SAB); card stock - Naturals White, Baja Breeze, Perfect Plum, Wild Wasabi; punches - Petite Curly Label (SAB),Bitty Butterfly, Scallop Trim border; Stampin' Dimensionals, Stamping Sponges

I love punches as much as I love embossing folders, and I really love the coordination Stampin' Up!® is so good at, so the Bitty Butterfly (coordinates beautifully with the Elegant Butterfly punch) in the Spring catalog and the Petite Curly Label (coordinates perfectly with Curly Label punch) in the Sale-A-Bration flyer were on my very first order with that fabulous Honeycomb folder.  If you want other Sale-A-Bration freebies and don't plan to spend $50 as many times as there are free items, don't despair - the Petite Curly Label punch will be available for purchase after Sale-A-Bration - a first!  But don't wait too long, either, or you'll be missing out on the fun.

For more fun right now, click Next to hop forward to Marsha's blog, or Previous to hop backward to Debbie's blog:

 

If you've lost your way, click home to find the Llama Blog Hop Home page:

more new adventures

When I posted the other day I was thinking the title "New Adventures" would indicate both that it's a new year full of  the promise of many new adventures and that I had participated in the first 2013 Jingle Belles' challenge.  I didn't make a card with any of my newest supplies or tools, but the title was stuck in my head and I used it.  Yesterday I realized my error and started playing with my new Simply Scored™ Borders Scoring Plate.  I used the Merry Monday color challenge and another great Freshly Made Sketches design, too:

stamp sets - Snow Much Fun, Tiny Tags; ink - Basic Gray, Island Indigo, More Mustard, Pool Party, Real Red; card stock - Island Indigo, Pool Party, Watercolor paper; punch - 3/16" Corner; Sycamore Street 1/4" ribbon - Pool Party; Big Shot with Cloudy Day embossing folder; Simply Scored with Borders Scoring Plate; Aquapainter

I imagined that the scoring on the Island Indigo horizontal strip gave the impression of snow under the snowman.  The Cloudy Day embossing in the background is a new tool, also - both are from the Stampin; Up!® Occasions catalog, available now through May 31.  The Sycamore Street ribbon is not only new, but free (plus two more spools and coordinating buttons!) as one of may choices with any $50 order during Sale-A-Bration, which starts January 22.

pennant extravaganza adventure

Today's cards feature more of the items available on sale during Online Extravaganza, through Wednesday next week (November 28).  The Petite Pennants Punch is 30% off and the Pennant Parade Stamp set is available bundled with the Pennant Stampin' Around builder wheel at 40% off!  Both of these cards are my versions, CASEd from samples I found on Pinterest and incorporated into my personal card-making extravaganza this week.

This first one has a (shiny ♥) silver sentiment on an otherwise all-white card, so I think it qualifies for LeAnne's Clean and Simple Gold or Silver Challenge at The Paper Players:

stamp set - More Merry Messages; ink - Versamark with Silver Stampin' Emboss powder; card stock - White Shimmer; punches - Modern Label, Petite Pennants; 5/8" organza ribbon - Whisper White;  Big Shot with Perfect Polka Dots and Petals-a-Plenty textured embossing folders; Simply Scored, Stampin' Dimensionals

The next one is also a fairly clean and simple design, possibly more so than the first.  Although a lot of the challenges I follow asked for clean and simple this week, none were specifically green or even monochrome, but Addicted to Stamps and More! suggested that "Anything goes!" for them:

stamp sets - Open Sleigh, Pennant Parade; ink - Garden Green, Wild Wasabi; Perfect Polka Dots textured embossing folder; card stock - Garden Green, Wild Wasabi, Whisper White; Big Shot with Labels Collection framelit, Stampin' Dimensionals

 

When I layered this one together, I thought the base needed "something". Since Perfect Polka Dots is pretty much what I always think of first, and they would echo the patterns on two of the trees, I thought they'd look great.  But, I didn't want to texture the base, since it also textures the inside of the card.  Sometimes I'm fine with that, and other times I prefer to leave it smooth in case I want to add a longer personal note. So I inked up the raised side of the folder, placed the card on the ink and gently pressed it down, rubbing lightly - I like it - a lot ♥

Whether you're celebrating Thanksgiving in the US or not, I hope your day is filled with blessings!  Thanks for stopping by, I feel blessed knowing that you've taken the time.

snowman extrvaganza adventure

Remember, the Stampin' Up! Online Extravaganza offers discounts up to 50% until November 28 only!  I used some of the items I already own, which you can now get on sale, to make two cards this evening.  The first one features one of my favorites - Snow Much Fun (50% off!) - a Clean&Simple Stamping sketch and the Festive Friday colour challenge:

stamp sets - Chock-Full of Cheer, Snow Much Fun; ink - Basic Gray, Midnight Muse; Stampin' Write markers - Baja Breeze, Basic Gray, Midnight Muse, Pumpkin Pie; card stock - Baja Breeze, Midnight Muse, Silver Glimmer, Whisper White; designer series paper - Snow Festival;punches - 1/2" circle, Decorative Label, Itty Bitty Shapes; Big Shot with Finishing Touches edgelit, Dazzling Details,  Rhinestone basic jewels, Stampin' Dimensionals

Sorry for the little extra color in his nose, Nicole :)  I tried to leave it out, but just couldn't.

The next card features another 50% off stamp set - Button Buddies - and the versatile More Merry Messages, which is 25% off.  I needed a snowman for the dessert option at Dynamic Duos, and these little buddies are just adorable.  They're sized for our designer buttons (Brights are 30% off!) but I didn't think this trio needed them:

stamp sets - Button Buddies, More Merry Messages, Netting; ink - Craft White, Basic Black, Marina Mist, Versamark; card stock - Marina Mist, Basic Black; sponge dauber, Baker's Twine Island Indigo 

Another little bit of extra color on this card (baker's twine doesn't come in Marina Mist) but I declared the Island Indigo to be close enough.

 

Be sure to take advantage of these amazing deals!  Click below to see the details or on the Order Stampin' Up! circle to the right to shop now!

 

Extravaganza Adventure

The Stampin' Up!® Online Extravaganza promotion is our biggest online sale of the year!  For 10 days only (November 19 – November 28), you can get incredible discounts - up to 50 percent - on some of your favorite products!
In addition, there will be three products 20 percent off for 24-hours only on both the first and last days of Online Extravaganza - our very own doorbusters!
Monday, November 19, midnight – 11:50 PM (MT)

Page	Item	Description	Retail Price	24-Hour Sale Price
181	125586	Simply Scored Diagonal Plate	$11.95	$9.56
186	113439	Big Shot Die-Cutting Machine	$99.95	$79.96
186	113474	Big Shot Doctor’s Bag	$69.95	$55.96

Wednesday, November 28, midnight – 11:50 PM (MT)

Page	Item	Description	Retail Price	24-Hour Sale Price
7	118941	Clear Block Bundle (Blocks A-I)	$66.95	$53.56
7	120279	Clear Block Storage Caddy	$16.95	$13.56
175	109127	Stack & Store Caddy	$34.95	$27.96

Here’s a flier with all the details.  If you're at my adventures blog, you can click on the "Order Stampin' Up Online" button to the right and it will take you to my Stampin' Up!® website where you'll find "shop now" listed under Products at the top.  If you're reading my stampinup.net blog, just look for Products above and shop now under it.

One of my favorite stamp sets, Snow Much Fun, will be 50% off.  I hope that doesn't mean it's been a slow seller this year, because then it may be retired after May 31.  You can see some of my samples in earlier posts:  here,  here,  here,  and  here.

The More Merry Messages set, which was new in June this year, will be 25% off.  It's a very useful Christmas sentiment set with 10 stamps in a variety of styles.  I used it just this evening for half a dozen different cards during my own personal card-making extravaganza.  My extravaganza goal was to complete as many cards as I could from my Pinterest Christmas cards board.

Here's one of them, a clean & simple holiday card as suggested at SU-Only Challenges and *CASEd from this pin:

stamp sets - More Merry Messages, Daydream Medallions; ink - Gumball Green, Riding Hood Red; card stock - Riding Hood Red, Whisper White; punches - Bird Builder, Cupcake Builder; Rhinestone Basic Jewels; Big Shot with Fancy Fan textured impressions embossing folder

The Rhinestone Basic Jewels (I used one for the cardinal's eye) will be 30% off!  Also 30% off is a ribbon bundle of Gumball Green, Raspberry Ripple, and Summer Starfruit.  I used the Gumball Green ribbon on the card below (*CASEd from this pin), as well as the Be of Good Cheer designer series paper which will be 20% off:

stamp set - Scentsational Season; ink - Gumball Green; card stock - Cherry Cobbler, Very Vanilla; designer series paper - Be of Good Cheer; punch - 2-1/2" circle; 3/8" stitched satin ribbon - Gumball Green

*CASE = Copy And Share Everything or Copy And Selectively Edit

a Stampin' Up!® adventure invitation

Do you love creating with paper - greeting cards, scrapbooks, home decor, gift items?  Do you love discounts on your purchases?  Do you love sharing activities you love?  You'll love being a Stampin' Up!® demonstrator!  Completely customizable Stampin' Up!® Starter Kits are only $99 - you choose $125 worth of any current products, with free shipping, and also receive business supplies valued at $65.  If you join during August, you'll also receive this exclusive free Howl-O-Ween Printer's Tray Project Kit:

The project kit includes everything you need to complete the project shown on the left (other than ink and clear blocks if you opt for clear-mount stamps):

• Toxic Treats stamp set in clear-mount or wood
• Basic Rhinestones (full package)
• Bakers Twine (full package)
• ribbons, buttons and papers as shown
• Printer's Tray

Give us a try - you'll get demonstrator discounts and benefits as soon as you purchase your kit, at least through December 31.  There's no obligation to purchase anything further, but the benefits will it make it worth it to you to stay:

• 30% off your first product order of $150 or more (within 45 days of joining)
• 20% discounts on all purchases while you remain active as a demonstrator
• pre-order sales periods 30 days in advance of customer sales periods
• monthly Stampin' Success magazine
• access to Stampin' Connection - the private demonstrator website with photo galleries, video tutorials, and more
• invitations to regional events and national convention

If you sign up with me, you'll have a standing invitation to all of my events (with no fees) and  to our monthly team meetings where we share ideas for projects and for turning our hobby into a profitable business.

Remember - there's no risk - no obligation to make further purchases - no penalty for dropping

(and this offer expires August 31)

New adventures

 Yes, it's another NEW month, but in addition, Stampin' Up!® has a NEW catalog (top link at the right), and NEW promotions for hostesses and demonstrators.

 During June and July, hostesses who hold a minimum $450 workshop will receive an additional $50 in hostess free merchandise dollars--that's in addition to the $65 they already receive for a $450 workshop!

During June, NEW demonstrators (second link at the right) not only get to choose the products for their fully customizable Starter Kit, they'll also get products from the brand-new Patio Party Suite for free, including the Make a Cake stamp set, Patio Party designer series paper, and the Patio Party digital collection DVD! That's up to $48 in additional free products!

 As a demonstrator, I earned the Make a Cake stamp set and Patio Party designer series paper free and received it before it was available to order.  In the same package I received the NEW 2012-2014 In Colors I had ordered - Primrose Petals, Raspberry Ripple, Summer Starfruit, Gumball Green, and Midnight Muse.  They look fabulous together, and of course they coordinate with the 48 core colors and the 2011-2013 In Colors, but I had a little trouble with Summer Starfruit.  Is it yellow, or is it green?  What other colors does it look best with?  There's an entire thread about it at the Stampin' Connection demonstrator forum, and some of the others posted samples, so I applied the Copy And Share Everything principle and made this card:

stamp sets - Make a Cake, Itty Bitty Banners; ink - Midnight Muse, Primrose Petals, Baja Breeze; Stampin' Write markers - Midnight Muse, Summer Starfruit; card stock - Summer Starfruit, Whisper White, Primrose Petals; designer series paper - Patio Party; punch - Decorative Label; Big Shot with Labels Collection and Bitty Banners framelits and Harlequin texturez embossing plate (retired); mini brads and Stampin' Dimensionals

 There is a NEW embossing folder - Argyle - that would have looked better than the retired texturez plate I used, but I haven't ordered the new folder yet...

While I had the Patio Party paper out, I made this card, which we made at my 10-for-$10 stamp-a-stack events Thursday evening and Saturday morning:

 stamp set - Pretty Postage; ink - Primrose Petals; card stock - Primrose Petals, Baja Breeze; punch - Postage Stamp; Stampin' Dimensionals

 

It's not a particularly difficult card to create, but deciding on the arrangement you find most attractive for the "inchies" can be time consuming!

If you would like to have some NEW Stampin' Up!® stamps, ink, paper, and tools, you can order through my online store (link at the right).  If you would like lots of NEW items, schedule a workshop for yourself and your friends so you can earn some of it free.  If, like me, you want it *all*, become a demonstrator!  You'll be able to buy everything at 20% off (sometimes more) and earn many items free, in addition to receiving the Stampin' Success magazine, having access to the Stampin' Connection forums and showcase and the chance to attend Stampin' Up!® convention and regional events!

reclaimed time adventure

I've been slightly over-scheduled this month; I'm sure you're not really surprised.  I had a 10-for-$10 Stamp-a-stack event scheduled for this evening, but the only person who was signed up this month is my good friend and fellow demonstrator, Jan, so we decided to cancel the stamping.  I think I used my "reclaimed" time wisely by rebooting the exercise program that I'd neglected since I left for Colorado two and half weeks ago, finishing the last two loads of laundry, vacuuming, uploading four weeks of photos from my camera and updating Shuttercal. Plus, I'm finally updating my blog, and for my next trick, I'll complete the annual medical reimbursement request that's due tomorrow! 

This is one of the cards Jan and I made Sunday at our team meeting:

stamp set - Delightful Dozen; ink - Old Olive; card stock - Naturals White, Whisper White, Basic Black, Pink Pirouette; designer series paper (retired) - Island Oasis; punches - 1-3/4" Circle, 1-3/4" Scallop Circle, Large Oval, Small Oval, Boho Blossom, Cupcake Builder (sprinkles)

I originally planned to demonstrate this at the workshop I did yesterday evening, but at the last minute changed to this larger, simpler version that I first saw on Pinterest and CASEd from Crystal Rood:

 

Stampin' Write marker - Pink Pirouette; card stock - Old Olive, Basic Black, Whisper White, Pink Pirouette; designer series paper - Paisley Petals; punches - 2-1/2" Circle, 2-3/8" Scallop Circle, Extra-large Oval, Large Oval, Boho Blossom  

Which one would you rather make?  I have both available for Saturday morning's Stamp-a-Stack 10-for-$10 event, and it will be your last chance to earn FREE Sale-A-Bration products with every $50 order, so be sure to call or email me!

one word adventure

The Stampin' Up!® Occasions mini catalog is live today, January 4 - there's a link to the right.  There's a link to the right for the Clearance Rack Blitz, as well, but that link will be gone tomorrow - the Clearance Rack will still be around but the blitz prices end January 5th. 

"Just One Word", challenge 47 at Less is More, (an extra-long two-week challenge) and sketch challenge 235 at Stamping 411 also end January 5th, so I need to get my card posted:

stamp set - My Friend; ink - Not Quite Navy; card stock - Pool Party, Not Quite Navy, So Saffron; Big Shot with Elegant Lines embossing folder; Pool Party seam binding ribbon; Basic Rhinestone

Pool Party (a 2011-2013 In Color) is one of my favorite colors this year, so you can imagine my excitement at seeing the easy-tying Seam Binding ribbon is now available in that color in the new Occasions mini - it went right on my order list without hanging around on my wish list. 

I have some "work" waiting for me on my stamping table - I'll be one of the stops on tomorrow's Llama blog hop featuring Occasions products - please plan to stop by!  I'm sure you'll see something for your order list or wish list. You'll also see some sneak peeks from Sale-A-Bration, which starts January 24.  I've mailed both catalogs to my customers - if yours don't arrive soon or you don't already have a demonstrator, please contact me and I'll be happy to make sure you get them.

Sale-A-Bration adventure

Stampin' Up!® has scheduled Sale-A-Bration for January 24 through March 31 when every $50 order earns FREE products - stamp sets, paper, embellishments - it's awesome!   Even more awesome, demonstrators can get ours early, and this year we could get it FREE with every $50 order!  I have a big box of new toys supplies just waiting for me.  I finished (most) of the gift wrapping yesterday and all of the gift making today, so I've earned the chance to pull out the paper and ribbon you can see here:

stamp sets - Teeny Tiny Wishes, Happiest Birthday Wishes (hostess); ink - Lucky Limeade, Pool Party, Soft Suede; card stock - Pool Party, Soft Suede, Whisper White; designer series paper - Everyday Enchantment (Sale-A-Bration); punches - dotted scallop ribbon border, large tag; 1/8" organdy ribbon - Lucky Limeade (Sale-A-Bration); Stampin' Dimensionals

Sketch 170 at Clean & Simple was one of those that my imagination just balked at, until today, when I saw the "Tag, You're It!" prompt at Pals Paper Arts!  Made for each other, and perfectly timed - don't you love it when a plan comes together? ;)

Clearance Rack Blitz

Details:
Nearly 200 new Clearance Rack items are being added to the Online Store at discounts up to 80 percent off retail--while supplies last!

Things to Remember

• Only online orders qualify for this promotion. Orders can include non-Clearance Rack items, as well.
• The Clearance Rack Blitz includes old-body style punches (the black ones).
• There is no minimum purchase required to participate in this promotion.
• Qualifying Clearance Rack orders are eligible for hostess benefits/Stampin' Rewards.
• Clearance Rack Blitz items are only available while supplies last. There are no refunds or exchanges on Clearance Rack items.